After reading “Some moral minima,” I must agree with Lenn Goodman’s opinions. Though they reflect, to the extreme, his relativism, I agree the topics he chose are all wrong in the eyes of another culture’s virtues and morals.
This is a difficult decision because, even if it is true that no norm can be made absolute unless some other is compromised, unanimity is no proper standard of moral universality. We humans and the societies we constitute can be wrong. “Consent is a helpful marker, but neither necessary nor sufficient to legitimacy.Some whose interests are critically affected by our acts have no effectual say in our choices. Principles are principles; no norms delineating concretely, and uncompromisingly, wrong from right” (Goodman, L. E.
, 2010). I will take the four topics of choice and present my argument, one by one. I agree there should be universal moral requirements in regards to these practices. Genocide, Famine and Germ Warfare The first topic chosen is Genocide, Famine and Germ Warfare. This technique is mass murder where a criminal is slaying a marked victim.The purpose lies in the intent, not just the scale of the crime.
“More dreams are broken and more futures cut short when more lives are taken. But genocide targets individuals as members of a group, seeking to destroy a race, a culture, a linguistic or ethnic identity, even a class as the Soviets did in the Ukraine, or Mao in China, or the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The target is a way of life” (Goodman, L. E. , 2010). Terrorism, Hostages, and Child Warriors The second topic is Terrorism, Hostages, and Child Warriors.
These people target certain classes, cultures, and ethnic identities like genocide. “Terrorism, as a tactic, finds its military use in sapping the will to resist. Its intensity comes from its flagrancy. The more helpless the victims, the more lurid the light” (Goodman, L. E. , 2010).
“Hostage taking and the abduction, training, and deployment of child warriors are parallel violations of human dignity. Hostages are chosen not for their military acts but for the impact of their seizure, perhaps torture, and brutal execution, the world made a spectator via the internet, cable, and broadcast media.It is estimated, there are some 300,000 child soldiers; voluntary, semi-voluntary, or coerced; under arms today. Recruitment of children under 15 was named a war crime by the International Criminal Court, but no one has yet been convicted of it. Child soldiers are recruited as young as nine or ten. Often they are drugged or drunk, used as sex slaves, or cannon fodder” (Goodman, L.
E. , 2010). All of these situations are wrong, in my opinion. They are inhumane, cruel, violent, and just plain immoral.I guess this is where my relativism shows; my ethics and morals differ dramatically in these situations.
Slavery, Polygamy, and Incest Goodman’s next topic is Slavery, Polygamy, and Incest. I know what I know of my culture and all three of these topics are wrong in my ethical and moral being. Some cultures still practice these and, after completing my Anthropology course, I know it is best just to turn my head; I still cannot endorse these practices. “Murder is destructive, but slavery keeps its victim alive while stripping her of agency.
Men are trafficked most often for agricultural or construction labor; women and children, for prostitution, domestic servitude, or sweatshop labor. False promises of employment, imposed debt, sequestered identity documents, and fear of immigration authorities are frequent. So are violence and threats of violence, unsafe and unhealthy workplaces and living conditions; and, for women and children in brothels, the risk of AIDS and other STDs” (Goodman, L. E.
, 2010). “Defenders argue that polygamous marriages are freely entered, freely left, well-protected by law or custom.In polygamous societies women become acquisitions; displays of wealth or status, objects of enjoyment, means of reproduction, providers of childcare and domestic labor. These grounds alone suffice to show that polygamy is bad for women, and as such bad for humanity.
Relativists will say that romantic love and companionate marriage are recent inventions, culture-bound and fraught with troubles of their own” (Goodman, L. E. , 2012). I happen to strongly agree with this last sentence, other than companionate marriage is a recent invention. All monogamous marriages are fraught with troubles of their own.
Incest, I think is just wrong! I have watched a couple of talk shows on television highlighting this practice in our own culture and some of the information revealed made the host want to vomit. Imagine what could happen if the female in this relationship became pregnant. What kind of deformities would the child have should she even carried to full term? Rape and Clitoridectomy (the cutting off of all or part of a woman's or girl's clitoris, practiced in some societies as a social or cultural rite of passage). Goodman’s last chosen topic is Rape and Clitoridectomy.These are both wrong in that rape is not a crime of sex or passion; it is a crime of violence.
No person should be forced to have sexual intercourse with anybody if they do not choose to do so. Clitoridectomy is performed on women in some cultures; it is the removal of the main organ of a woman’s sexual gratification. Orgasmic satisfaction robs her, in adulthood, of a vital source of satisfaction, self-esteem, and warm relations available to members of our species. These satisfactory, physical feelings should be available to males and females, alike. In conclusion, again, I agree with all of Mr.
Goodman’s opinions; we are both relativists (the belief that concepts such as right and wrong, goodness and badness, or truth and falsehood are not absolute but change from culture to culture and situation to situation; Encarta Dictionary). “Principles are principles; no norms delineating concretely, and uncompromisingly, wrong from right” (Goodman, L. E. , 2010).
I cannot, and refuse to accept the virtues and morals of all cultures. Most cultures’ beliefs simply contradict my own; what I know and am accustomed to believing. This does not make my virtues, morals, and beliefs right or wrong in the opinion of other cultures.
